Subscribe to our RSS feed
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
PNLT members and supporters celebrate the purchase of a 15-unit rooming house in Parkdale, the first affordable housing project of the land trust.
Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT) was forged from the collective vision of community members and non‑profit organizations active in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto: to create an organization focused on preserving affordability, diversity and community‑owned assets.
As a result of steep increases in land values in Toronto, the neighbourhood has seen significant changes. Parkdale is home to a high concentration of affordable housing, including rental, social and supportive housing, and rooming houses. As rising prices see progressively more affluent residents moving in, PNLT’s goal is to ensure that everyone, particularly those with fewer resources and lower incomes, can also benefit from the changes in the neighbourhood.
PNLT’s goal is to acquire land and use it to meet the needs of residents, whether that is ensuring housing stays affordable, providing urban agriculture spaces, or furnishing spaces for social enterprises and non‑profit organizations. By entering into long‑term leases with non‑profit partners who operate each site, the PNLT ensures the land it owns provides benefits to the community.
Using the unique model of a community land trust, PNLT is able to implement community‑led decisions around land use. The community‑led board and robust roster of committees ensures that tenants of PNLT’s lands, community‑members, and local businesses collectively control PNLT’s assets and the organization’s activities. The PNLT also engages in community planning initiatives, runs the Parkdale Free School, and facilitates tenant organizing in the neighbourhood.
The PNLT achieves its goals through a dual‑organization model – a charitable arm which carries out charitable activities and partners with other charities, and a non‑profit arm, which can partner with non‑charitable entities. Against huge odds, the PNLT has been able to take land out of the private market, and currently owns a community garden, and a 15‑unit rooming house.
The PNLT uses Iler Campbell for a wide‑range of services, including governance advice, charity law assistance, financing and real estate. We’re thrilled to be helping PNLT advance its mission!
